Cyborg vs. Rousey: The Next Mayweather-Pacquiao?
By Syl Peterkin, RCM Correspondent
After more than 6 years of waiting, we still don’t have the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. So the casual fan asks, what are the chances that we might see the same for Cyborg-Rousey? Well, Dana White is a smart businessman and with that knows better than to take the chance of losing his prize stallion. This is why we never saw the super fight between George St. Pierre-Anderson Silva. The same reason why we never saw Fedor Emelianenko fight Randy Couture or Brock Lesnar. Dana White has also had a few champions just leave while holding the belt to include Frank Shamrock and Josh Barnett (substance abuse).
Ronda Rousey has made Dana White eat his words of not having womens MMA in the UFC. Dana White has stated that Rousey is the only reason why there is Womens MMA in the UFC. Rousey is quite simply the perfect combination of looks, pedigree, intelligence, and talent (athletic and marketing). She was a UFC Ultimate Fighter Coach, Olympic Medalist, actress, and has already headlined two UFC events; in short Ronda Rousey has transcended the sport. Ronda Rousey, 28, is the current UFC womens bantamweight champion and carries an undefeated record (9-0), 8 via submission with one knockout by strikes since 2011. Cris “Cyborg” Justino though has been on the MMA scene since 2005 and has a 12-1 record (10 ko/tko’s and 2 decisions) and at 29 is in the prime of her career.
Cyborg though is NOT signed to the UFC. She is quite simply the biggest threat to Rousey and Dana White knows this. Ronda’s advantage in fight is closing the distance and grappling with her opponents. The problem with this is that Cyborg is quite proficient at striking, with most of her wins coming via strikes (which would be problematic for Ronda to close the distance). Cyborg is a BJJ black belt which would typically be a major advantage if not for the fact that Rousey is an Olympic Judo bronze medalist. Cyborg should be able to at least provide significant resistance to Rousey’s Judo.
Now since Cyborg isn’t signed to the UFC, Dana White is at a disadvantage. Dana White is offering a take it or leave it 7 fight deal, while Cyborg (and her management) wants only a 3 fight deal. A 7 fight deal would be advantageous to the UFC because it gives the UFC time to further develop Ronda and build up hype for Cyborg. This could culminate in a matchup between the two. A 7 fight deal could also allow for an early fight and further development of Cyborg (to fans and the media). A 3 fight deal could be a major headache to the UFC. Cyborg has an opportunity to do one prep fight, the fight, and a rematch (assuming she wins). She can after this negotiate for a higher contract with the UFC. If Cyborg were to simply leave the UFC afterwards, the UFC would be left without a champ and Rousey as a damaged goods (requiring a lot of time to redevelop as a star costing tens of millions in potential earnings).
Dana White has made references that Cyborg has tested positive for substance abuse, and looks like the male fighter Wanderlei Silva. This quite simply is an attempt to downplay Cyborg to the media. The fact remains that Dana has employed many fighters who have tested positive to illegal substances. It is also known, that Ronda Rousey has been given very beatable opponents. Cyborg is simply NOT an easily beatable opponent. In fact in terms of odds, Cyborg would probably be favored to beat Rousey.
With so many problems that could occur, the smart money would be for Dana White to NOT have Rousey face Cyborg. If a fight were to occur a 7 fight deal would present the best scenario for the UFC. Dana White has stated that the UFC makes fights happen (as opposed to boxing), but the fact remains many super fights have never happened. Now, although Cyborg seriously desires to fight Rousey in 2014 it might be not likely. So can Cyborg-Rousey be the next Mayweather-Pacquiao? Yes, given the factors involved, that is a very real possibility.
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